Calcium-phosphate-silicate composite bone cement: self-setting properties and in vitro bioactivity

Area of Science:

• Biomaterials Science
• Materials Chemistry
• Orthopedic Engineering

Background:

• Calcium phosphate-silicate cements are crucial in bone tissue engineering.
• Developing novel bone cements with improved properties is an ongoing research area.
• Existing cements often face limitations in setting time, mechanical strength, or biocompatibility.

Purpose of the Study:

• To synthesize and characterize a novel low-temperature setting calcium phosphate-silicate cement (DCPD/C3S).
• To evaluate the self-setting properties, injectability, degradability, and compressive strength of the DCPD/C3S cement.
• To compare the performance of the novel cement with a DCPD/CaO cement system.

Main Methods:

• Mixing dicalcium phosphate dihydrate (DCPD) and tricalcium silicate (C3S) with sodium phosphate buffers.
• Investigating setting times, injectability, degradability, and compressive strength at various C3S weight ratios (20-40%).
• Assessing in vitro pH stability in simulated body fluid (SBF) and evaluating cell proliferation.

Main Results:

• The DCPD/C3S paste (L/P ratio 0.6 ml/g) set within 20 minutes.
• Compressive strength reached approximately 34.0 MPa after 24 h, significantly higher than DCPD/CaO cement (approx. 10.0 MPa).
• The novel cement exhibited stable pH in SBF and superior cell proliferation support compared to DCPD/CaO.

Conclusions:

• The novel DCPD/C3S bone cement demonstrates rapid setting and high compressive strength.
• It possesses favorable hydraulic properties, improved biocompatibility, and moderate degradability.
• This DCPD/C3S cement shows significant potential as a bone substitute material.